The two BEST ways to see The Great Barrier Reef

Last month I travelled to Cairns Australia to see one of the worlds greatest natural wonders and Discover the two best ways to see The Great Barrier Reef!

I made a video of the first part of my three week trip and it featured some pretty epic days of exploring the reef but I wanted to, of course, share the love on my blog too! So having experienced The Great Barrier Reef in (my opinion) the best possible way I wanted to share with you my TOP tips for seeing the reef in the most memorable and breathtaking way!

The Luxury Sand Cay Helicopter Tour

This particular tour was THE best organised tour I have ever taken, by far the most luxury and suave travel trip I have ever been on and quite possibly one of the best days of my life! Now I’ve gotten all soppy about it let me explain it a little more in detail 😉

So the helicopter departs from a heliport that is super close to Cairns domestic airport. After a friendly introduction to the pilot you and your companion are privately whisked straight up up and away. The flight takes you directly over the great barrier reef and it’s a sight unlike any other in the world. Pockets of turquoise blues and jade greens with unique shaped visible coral reefs nestle amongst the ripples. it really is as incredible as the geography books state.

After a 30 minute flight you descend down onto a completely private sand bank. It’s just you two and the pilot in the middle of the great big blue, it’s ridiculous.

The pilot sets up two sun loungers, a parasol and a gourmet picnic fresh from the deli just metres away from the helicopter you just landed in and the beach is yours for the day. After being handed your glass of champers you are free to spend the day as you please.

The sand is actually silica sand so the softest and whitest in the whole world and the reef blinks at you every time the wave settles is none other than The Great Barrier Reef. The copter is equipped with stinger suits and snorkels, beach towels and lotions etc so you have everything you need to explore and boy did we! Spending the day snorkeling, fine dining on the sand and soaking up every moment of the December sun, is there any better way to see the Reef? I think not! Plus, you are treated to that awesome view once again on the way back to the mainland.

Price: 630 AUSD per person – We were given a special price as we booked on the same day. It seems pricey but some of the shared boat trips are not that much more affordable! Also, this is, without a doubt a once in a lifetime experience!

Duration: 3hrs but it’s at the pilot’s discretion, we stayed for 5hrs in total.

WhitSunday Island Boat Trip

Another amazing way to see The Great Barrier Reef is of course, by boat. There are countless day trips that leave Cairns or Airlie beach allowing you to take and dip and snorkel in big groups for an affordable price but if you are wanting the luxury experience then a boat charter is the way for you!

We chartered The WhitSunday Bliss as part of a group of 6 and splurging out a little extra for a boat with fewer people was the best thing we did! We each had our own luxury cabin with star gazing windows, private bathrooms, air conditioning, wardrobes, plush double beds and a number of high voltage plug points. The upper decks were spacious and immaculate at all times, it was perfectly sized and laid out for 3 days at sea. We had our experienced skipper on board as well as an award winning chef who dished up delicious meals 3 times a day as well as providing drinks, coffees and snacks on demand.

The trip was for 3 days covering not just The Great Barrier Reef but the WhitSunday Islands. It was a motor sailing boat but we were lucky enough with the weather to be able to simply sail most days which was such an amazing experience. The boat anchored twice daily for snorkelling and kitted us all out with whatever we needed to the swim as well as laying out our heated towels for when we returned form the water. Our rooms were cleaned twice daily and we were able to take our own alcohol on board, play our own music, guide our own sailing paths etc – it was like 5 star service on the water, it was brilliant.

This boast trip also included a trip to Whithaven Beach, more on that in my next post 😉